2007/06/27 Speech at Veteran Day Event

Ladies and gentlemen - welcome to this very special celebration here at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. As Veterans Minister I am delighted to have the chance to thank you - our Veterans - who have served this country with great dedication and commitment. It's great to see so many of you here you here today.

This really is a wonderful event - I'm much looking forward to the Service Displays that we're about to see - no doubt with more than a little inter-service rivalry. I hope you enjoyed the soaring voices of the Choir of the Irish Guards and the magnificent skill of our canine friends. And my thanks go the Not Forgotten Association for organising this evening's Gala Concert . I know I speak for us all when I say how grateful I am to all those people who have worked so hard organising this event.

Veterans Day is now a firm fixture in the national calendar, and more than 250 events are planned to take place over the coming weeks across the country have been taking place right across the UK - from Dundee to Plymouth. Events that are not only a wonderful chance for old friends to meet up - but also offer a unique opportunity for communities to learn more about the contribution of our Armed Forces to the peace and prosperity we enjoy in this country today.

Earlier today I was in Birmingham, host of this year's national Veterans Day event. The city centre was a hub of concerts, displays and exhibitions. And as part of that visit I also attended the Veterans Day events at the National Memorial Arboretum - a wonderful living memorial of 44,000 trees spread across over 150 acres, where Veterans and local school children gathered to celebrate this day. It really brought home to me that this is a chance to reach across the generations. It's absolutely vital - I believe - that our young people have the chance to learn more about their heritage and the central role our Armed Forces play.


Today is a chance to celebrate the unique contribution each and every Veteran has made to our country - a chance to raise awareness of their service and the issues that affect them. To the bonds they share - across units, ships and Regiments - that grow ever stronger across the years. The many Associations here today are proof of that.

The Ex - Service organisations and charities play a vital role in forging those bonds and providing 'hands on' guidance and support and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for all they do. The MOD has recently re-branded our services to Veterans under the Veterans-UK banner which provides one easy point of contact for those requiring help and advice on veterans issues.

As Veterans Minister I have the privilege of meeting Veterans up and down the country - and I must say you're an impressive bunch. And of course you span every generation and come from every walk of life. Indeed, as the DVD that has been showing on the screens today[ Could you recognise a Veteran] makes clear there really is no such thing as a 'typical' Veteran.

Many of you tell me that your time in the Forces was the most formative time of your life, and that the friendships you made have been some of your most enduring. The Veterans community today totals - if you include families - some 10 million people. You are a real force to be reckoned with - men and women, Regular and Reservist - many still active in the work place. Men and women who have given to their country and who are continuing to make a huge contribution to their communities.

And of course you have played a vital role in sustaining the strong foundations and excellent reputation that our Armed Forces enjoy today. Men and women who, in their turn, are performing with great courage and professionalism on difficult and dangerous operations in Iraq and Afghanistan today. It is a military ethos that has endured and continues to serve this country well - I know I speak for us all when I say how very proud we are of them.

This years' Veterans Day has been brought into special focus as the nation has marked the 25th Anniversary of the Falklands Conflict. Looking back the planning and dispatch of the Task Force was in itself a remarkable achievement. In those days our Armed Forces were configured and equipped to fight the Cold War. A campaign nearly 8,000 miles away was a huge logistical undertaking. It gives you some idea of the magnitude of the task - and distance - that a total of 28,000 personnel were involved in the theatre of operations. It was a tough conflict. 255 British servicemen lost their lives. 700 were wounded.

Some of you will have seen the wonderful commemorative event on Horseguards Parade - thousands of Falklands Veterans turned up to march along the Mall. Indeed some of you here today may well have been among that throng. I had the privilege to attend and found it deeply moving.

One of the very tangible ways that we can pay tribute to our Veterans is through the Veterans Badge. The Armed Forces Veterans Badge was launched in 2004, with the UK Merchant Seafarers Veterans Badge introduced a couple of years later in 2006 to reflect the unique relationship that the Merchant Navy and fisherman have held with the Armed Forces throughout the years, and indeed their much valued contribution.

There has been huge interest in the Badge and to date over 470,000 Badges have been awarded to Veterans. Today I am pleased to announce that eligibility to apply for the Veterans Badge will now be extended a further ten years to allow all those who served at any time prior to 31 December 1994. Please do apply for your badge if you served during this period A little later I will have the honour of presenting Badges to veterans who are guests of the Not Forgotten Association - men and women whose period of service spanned the Second World War right through to 1994. I have no doubt they will wear their Badges with pride.

Indeed wearing the Badge is a really important way of raising the profile of the Veterans community. And raising your profile is what today - Veterans Day - is all about. Ladies and gentlemen - today it's your turn to be centre stage. Thank you.